Meaning & use
persisting
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“persisting” is a form of “persist”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Keeping on doing something firmly, even though it is difficult or other people want you to stop.
Grammar: No object; followed by in or with: persisting in his efforts, persisting with the plan.
Patterns
- persist in something
- persist with something
- persist in doing something
She kept persisting in her search for the missing document.
The company is persisting with its plan despite the criticism.
He was persisting in asking questions long after the meeting ended.
verbintransitive
Continuing to exist or happen for a long time, especially when you would expect it to stop.
Grammar: No object, and the subject is a thing, not a person: the cough is persisting.
Patterns
- something persists
If the fever is persisting after three days, see a doctor.
Rumors about the closure were persisting despite the denials.
The drought is persisting across the region.
Word forms
| base form | persist |
|---|---|
| third person singular | persists |
| past tense | persisted |
| -ing form | persisting |
Common combinations
- persisting in
- He kept persisting in his attempts to fix the engine.
- persisting with
- They are persisting with the old software.
- persisting symptoms
- Persisting symptoms should be checked by a doctor.
- persisting problem
- Noise from the road is a persisting problem for residents.
- persisting despite
- The tradition is persisting despite modern changes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- persevere
- Persevere praises steady effort toward a goal, while persist can also suggest stubbornness.
- continue
- Continue is neutral and needs no difficulty, whereas persist implies something resists or tries to stop it.
- insist
- Insist means firmly demanding or declaring something, while persist means keeping going with an action.
- linger
- Linger suggests staying on slowly or weakly, such as a smell or doubt, while persist suggests steady continuation.
Opposites
Word family
- persist verb
- to keep going
- persistence noun
- the quality of not giving up
- persistent adjective
- continuing firmly or for a long time
- persistently adverb
- in a way that does not stop
Commonly confused: persisting or insisting?
persisting vs insisting
Insisting means demanding that something be done or accepted. Persisting means continuing an action or situation, and it is followed by in or with, not that.
Practice
Despite the bad reviews, the director kept ___ his original vision.
Choose one answer.
Persist is followed by in (or with) when naming the thing you continue. Persisting to, at and for are not the usual patterns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “persisting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.